Summer & Light
by CoriRedde
Summary: "They'll pay for this...especially that Salamander." The Phantom Lord guild holds its breath in anticipation of Lucy's next words. "He killed my father and stole my magic! Don't hold back!" The cheers are loud enough to cover her whisper in Gajeel's ear. "Stay out of my way." The Iron Dragon Slayer cackles. "Sure thing, princess." AU. Lusty Natsu!Lucy. Dark Romance. Dragons.
1. she who escapes fate

**My love of Fairy Tail cannot be expressed in mere words. I get a new FF idea every time I watch it. Chapter 312, anyone? **

**Anyway, this idea originates from...whatever episode/chapter Lucy was saying: "Phantom Lord...I had to decide between them and Fairy Tail." And my mind immediately goes: "What if she did go to Phantom Lord?" And then I was all: "But what if she already knew Natsu?" And then I was all: "IGNEEL! You bastard! You should be in more stories!" And that was followed by: "Jude Heartfilia...If you never wanted a daughter, why didn't you just dump her somewhere? She could have been found by a...STOP." Y'all see where this is going, right?**

**To chapter one! Land ho! Drop a review...I have a theory that certain fandoms have followers who hate reviewing. Don't put Fairy Tail in that category! Let me know what you think and remember: CHAPTER TWO IS WRITTEN. If I get to my review goal (which I'm not sharing. I'd rather just see if this one gets there), then I will post it right away. **

**Most importantly...ENJOY!**

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Summer and Light

A Fairy Tail FanFiction

by CoriRedde

_**Summary: **__"They'll pay for this...especially that Salamander." The Phantom Lord guild holds its breath in anticipation of the blonde's next words. "He killed my father and copied my magic! Don't hold back!" The cheers are loud enough to cover her whisper in Gajeel's ear. "Stay out of my way." The iron-dragon slayer cackled. "Sure thing, Princess." AU._

* * *

Chapter One:

she who escapes fate

_The night air is warm and humid at the edges of a small town in the northwestern parts of Fiore. Despite this, a tall, broad-shouldered man makes his way to a group of men while wearing a heavy cloak that conceals his face. In his arms is a bundle of dark cloth wrapped into a carrying strap._

_As he approaches the group, their horses paw at the ground, proving their restlessness. They are ready to ride. _

_"Are you the mercenaries from across the seas?" The cloaked man demands, his voice authoritative but hushed. _

_The riders stare him down._

_"That depends on who is asking," the rider at the head of the group responds in the same tone. His voice is heavily accented, carrying slurred consonants and precise pronunciation of vowels. "We are awaiting a rich client with a short job for us. Good pay." His bright silver eyes pierce through the darkness._

_"Are you him?"_

_The cloaked man throws a sac of coins at his waist at the man questioning him. The lead rider catches it easily before tossing it to the rider on his left. He hisses something in his foreign dialect, and the man responds with a nod. The lead rider turns back to the cloaked man with a huge, wicked grin._

_"Well then, what would you ask of us?" _

_The cloaked man pulls back the corner of his cloak to reveal a sweet baby's face nestled in the crook of his elbow. The child appears to be no older than a year. The mercenaries share dubious looks._

_"You wish us to...kill it?"_

_"No," the cloaked man responds curtly, "Take it away far outside of the civilized edges of Fiore. Then you may do whatever you wish with her. Make her a slave, one of your own; I don't care. I simply want her gone." _

_One of the horses in the back trots up toward the front. The lead rider spins around with an angry look on his face. The rider from the back pulls back the hood to reveal long black and silver tresses that frame a beautiful face the same age as the cloaked man's wife's own. The lead rider shouts something in his language that has the rider atop the back horse flinching, but her eyes betray her determination. She yells back at her leader and makes gestures at the child in their client's arms. The banter lasts a few minutes, other riders occasionally throwing in murmurs of support or mocking laughs._

_Then, the lead rider's face softens at the woman. He nods his head. _

_"Mr. Heartfilia," the lead rider intones, "Please pass the girl to my sister. We will complete the mission." The woman leaps down from her horse and carefully takes the baby from the man. She loops the strap over her own shoulder and feels the sleeping babe snuggle into her bosom. She smiles tenderly before fixing the man with a stern stare._

_She speaks in a halting voice, unsure of the language. "The peoples of Fiore...has customs...ideas...that do not...I do not understand." The curse is clear in her words. The cloaked man watches her leap onto her horse and nod at her brother. The lead rider sneers at the cloaked man and thanks him for the money before urging his horse and his group forward. _

_When they have crested the hill leading out of the town, Jude Heartfilia turns and walks back to the inn where his wife is still sleeping. A forged doctor's note that apologizes for the death of their young daughter rests in his pocket._

_This time, Jude is determined; he will have a son and no longer would Lucy Hearfilia exist._

* * *

_The mercenaries joke around together as they make camp during dusk a week later. They are in high spirits after their successful passing over the mountain range that leads to the coasts where their ships wait for them. At the bottom of the mountain range is a thick forest with plenty of shelter and good hunting. Some of the group sets out with bows and arrows tipped in good luck charms. The lead rider and his sister wait behind at the camp._

_The woman settles down against a tree, holding the babe close to her breast._

_"Reliz," the lead rider says sitting down next to the fire and facing his sister, "You are so attached."_

_"Nonsense, Suram," Reliz responds, kicking a rock at her brother, "I'm in love with this child. Call it replacement after the loss of my own baby" -here she takes a pause to press her hand against her lower belly- "but I believe I can be a good mother to this child. She will grow into a strong warrior with our people." She touches the tip of her finger to the girl's nose. The child gurgles and wraps her small hands around Reliz's finger._

_"Mama!" The girl calls out, her brown eyes bright._

_Suram crosses his arms and nods approvingly. "God knows we need the fresh blood," he agrees. _

_"Her name is Lucy," Reliz says suddenly, holding up a golden pendant she had found around the child's neck. Her accent mispronounces the child's name to Looseh. Suram nears and kisses the babe's forehead. A blonde curl escapes Lucy's hood as she giggles and twists her head to see the man near her. _

_"A beautiful, healthful child, Reliz," Suram says. "If only-!"_

_There is a loud crash and pained screams of their comrades reach the siblings' ears. Lucy lets out a shriek of her own, waving her hands._

_"Suram!" Reliz exclaims, rising. She nestles the girl underneath a hollow in the base of the tree and pulls the hood and wrappings tight around her. _

_"Stay here and be quiet, little one," Reliz orders gently, pressing a sleeping cloth to Lucy's face. The woman watches the girl's eyes close as sleep overtakes her. She strokes her face and then turns away, racing for where her brother is waiting. She snatches up her weapons and mounts her horse. Together, Reliz and Suram race to the aid of their comrades, but find them dead and surrounded by a pack of overlarge, feral wolves. Though they fight bravely, the morning sun rises on a group of dead mercenaries and an abandoned child._

_The child in question, the renounced Lucy Heartfilia, wails pitifully in the northwestern forest of Fiore. The sound of heavy footsteps and the panting and scrambling of leaves caused by another pair of smaller, clumsier feet only sets the young girl into another set of screams. The two beings zone in on the crying and near the hollowed tree where the little girl lay. _

_"Natsu," a deep, rumbling voice growls, "Crawl under that tree and pull out the human there." A small boy of barely two years with pink hair grins brightly and scrambles to obey. On muddy hands and knees, the boy pulls a blonde girl back out, coating her wrappings in mud as well. _

_The girl blinks hugely as she is pulled into the bright sun and stares at the cherub face of a small boy. She reaches up cutely, snatching and pulling a handful of his pink hair._

_"Ow! Hey!" The boy protests, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Lucy giggles. _

_"Pinku!" Warm air blows over the two small human children. Natsu grins at the source: a huge dragon named Igneel. Lucy looks up in awe before she rolls herself over and pushes onto her hands and knees. With lots of stumbling and tripping, the girl makes it out of her wrappings and over to the dragon's huge front leg. Using the rough scales, Lucy pulls herself up to standing and bounces happily on chubby knees at the dragon's side. _

_"Durago!" She proclaims. She laughs, "Durago!"_

_"Hey!" Natsu shouts, stumbling toward the girl, "He's mine!" The dragon releases a hearty rumble, the equivalent of a human chuckle. _

_"Natsu," Igneel announces, "Help this girl climb onto my back and hold her there."_

_"What?" The boy argues, "Why?" But Natsu does it anyway, the one year old girl and two year old boy sitting close together on Igneel's back. The dragon takes a moment to narrow his bright eyes at a gold pendant lying among the clothes the girl had just freed herself from._

_Igneel spreads his wings and takes flight back toward the unexplored areas of the forest where he and the boy live. "Natsu, this is Lucy, she will be your best friend."_

_"Friendah!" Lucy giggles, "Natsu! Durago!" She tips with her giggles, almost falling off Igneel's broad back. Natsu catches her quickly, laughing with the blonde girl._

_Natsu smiles with one of his arms wrapped out the smaller girl, "Ok, Igneel!"_

* * *

The streets in some town that Lucy has no care to remember the name of are busy with merchants and shoppers. The blonde girl wanders down the street with her red skirt swirling around her ankles. The orange bikini top may have been an odd match, making her look somewhat gypsy like with the blue and green scarf she had tied into her hair, but it gave her beginning-to-develop body the support her previous outfit had lacked. And anyways, the previous white shirt and purple shorts had been shot to hell. She hadn't even needed to steal these new clothes! The lady at the shop had felt really bad for her and gave her free reign of the sale rack.

Stupid woman. What Lucy really needs is food.

On cue, her stomach gives an unattractive growl.

"Oh, shut up," she mutters at her bare tummy, "Gotta decide if I'm gonna steal or beg."

Another growl.

"Yeah, I don't wanna beg neither." Lucy makes her face look nonchalant, and began to step lightly. Her leather slippers become soundless as she slips into the crowd. Over the smell of sweating bodies (really, her over-the-top senses did have a downside on hot days), Lucy can smell roasting meat and ripe fruits. Her mouth waters and her nose twitches. If only she could turn invisible-!

Lucy lands on her butt, the cobblestone streets making lines on her back. She sits up quickly rubbing her head. Across from her making a mirror action is a boy appearing a few years older than her with wild black hair. His red eyes widen when she shoves her forehead against his.

"Watch where you're going, jerk!" Lucy shouts at the young teenager. The guy's eye twitches and his teeth grind together. "Coulda seriously hurt someone!"

The guy shoves back, pushing her away from him. Lucy gets her hands under herself and presses against the ground. From her backward roll, she nimbly leaps up to her feet.

"Oh?" The dark-haired teen says, standing as well, "Accusing me so easily. Actually, you ran into me first!" He points an accusing finger at her.

Lucy smirks, "Idiot. There's no way _I _could have knocked _you _down!" Her eyes glint mischievously, "Unless you're some kind of pansy."

"Hell no!"

"Knocked over by little girls," Lucy taunts, crossing her arms and leaning toward him mockingly, "Tch. You're pathetic." The guy growls something unintelligible to the bystanders now clearing a circle around the two bantering kids. Lucy hears it perfectly.

"I am not a damn pampered princess!" This proclamation is followed by a suddenly quiet street. The noiseless space is filled by Lucy's tummy giving the guy across from her a piece of its mind.

The dark haired teen bursts out laughing, his mouth opening wide as he clutches at his stomach and howls at the blonde's embarrassment. Lucy blushes a furious shade of red.

"Aw!" The guy fake coos, "Is princess hungry?" He leans toward her this time as Lucy clenches her fists and grinds her teeth together. A slight breeze sweeps through the street, stirring up Lucy's hair and pushing it back from her face. It also brings toward her a sent from the guy in tattered jeans across from her. His messy hair waves around his head and his open jacket flutters. Lucy's nose twitches for the second time that day.

_I recognize that scent, _Lucy muses, a wicked grin crossing her face as she crouches down into a fighting stance, _And that hotheadedness. _She watches the dark-haired teen drop down into an attack pose while smirking excitedly. She can see the thrill of battle in his red eyes.

"So princess can fight, can she?" He muses mockingly out loud. Lucy cracks her knuckles.

"You better hope I don't embarrass you too much, _Dragon Slayer_!" Lucy doesn't even give the guy time to recover from the shock of her calling out his magic before she leaps for him. She spins in midair and delivers a kick to his midsection. The guy flies sideways; he crashes into the side of a store.

"Please," Lucy calls out, taunting the guy, "You're making this too easy!" She jumps again toward the rubble of the ruined wall, only to find the dark-haired teen standing with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. She extends her fist toward him; she is shoved back into the ground by an iron pillar.

Lucy coughs hard. Her back collides with the street and her head snaps back into the ground. The guy grinds the blunt weapon (which she notices is actually his arm transformed) into her stomach.

"I'll give you that first hit, princess," the teen growls, "But if you're gonna challenge a Dragon Slayer, you'll need a lot more than- agh!" Lucy reaches up and grabs onto the pillar. She may have been raised in a forest, but she is still smart enough to realize his magic merely transformed him. The pillar is still his arm. Igneel taught her after all.

Her hands light up with bright flames hotter than most natural fires. The metal wields almost immediately, her fingers sinking into the iron.

The dude grunts in pain, wrenching his arm back away from her.

"Bitch," he growls, lowly, "What magic is that?" He rubs his injured fist, his cheeks puffing comically as he blows on the raw skin.

Lucy gets to her feet, a sadistic sort of look twisting her eleven-year-old face. Her magic circle opens up under her feet, the flames roaring up and around like dragon wings.

"Figured it was obvious," she says cheekily. She waves her hands, wrapping her flames around them. The bright colors light up her face more than the afternoon sun. The pressure whips her messy blonde hair around her head. "But you're clearly a dumbass, so."

The guy's eyes widen, showing off their disconcerting red color. "Interesting," he breathes. He takes the initiative this time. He shoves off from the ground. His arms transform again. Lucy meets him in midair, using his extended iron arm as a vault to fly up higher. She flips; her rotation and flaming feet throw her head first toward the ground. The guy lands and looks up in time to see a flaming fist aimed for his face. He jumps back, but his block isn't quick enough. The fire scorches his pants. Her opponent hisses at the pain.

"Never thought there'd be another one like me," the guy muses as he collides with Lucy again. The blonde takes his hit to her shoulder. She spins with the momentum. She hits the ground on her hands and whips her leg around. The dark-haired teen joins her on the ground with a grunt. Lucy leaps onto his stomach. Her knees pin his arms.

"Don't give away too much," Lucy warns through her teeth, "And help me out here."

The guy struggles under her, but the blonde girl knows he's not really trying. She doesn't weigh all that much at eleven years old.

"What do you want?"

Lucy grins. "Food." She jerks her head toward a fruit vendor whose cart had the misfortune of being part of the circle around their fight.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Lucy's fist makes quick acquaintance with the guy's face.

"Shut up, jerk. Heard your stomach growling, so let's help each other out." The guy gives a sigh, but Lucy speaks retarded Dragon Slayer enough (she grew up with one) to understand his consent. She is then shoved from the guy. She starts up her fire again before allowing the teen to throw her into the fruit cart. Food goes flying.

"I'll kill you!" She screams at the guy, playing the part. His arm turns into something with sharp moving edges. he advances on the cart.

"You're dead first, you shitty brat!" He brings the sword down seemingly on top of her head. Fire explodes around the two fighting kids. The people watching scream and panic. The poor fruit vendor passes out.

On a parallel street that leads out of the town, two kids run while laughing. The shorter and female of the pair has apples held in the makeshift basket of her red skirt. They collapse together, the girl in a fit of giggles at the side of the road under the shade of a few trees.

The guy snatches up an apple, biting into it viciously. "I can't believe it," he says around chunks of fruit, "Fucking amazing. Another Dragon Slayer."

Lucy laughs, biting into her own apple. "I'm Lucy Ignagon," she says, offering her hand, "Good fight. And thanks for the help."

The guy sneers at her and tosses his finished apple over his shoulder carelessly. "Gajeel Redfox," he responds in turn, "We'll have to spar again."

Lucy claps her hands again. "Great. 'Cause I'm really gonna whoop your ass next time!" The Iron Dragon Slayer denies her words vehemently, ranting about how the great Metalicana would never forgive him if he lost to a little princess like herself. Lucy sticks her tongue out at him. Then she freezes.

"Wh-who...umm..." She trails off and looks away with the oddest expression of apprehension and sadness on her cute face. Gajeel growls.

"Spit it out already. Damn."

Lucy fixes him with a hard stare before blurting out her question. "Where's your dragon?"

Gajeel shrugged, trying to hide his pain. Lucy sees loss in his red eyes though, watching him as he crosses his legs stubbornly. "Gone. Disappeared. Who needs the bastard anyway, huh?" A lone tear falls down his right cheek.

The blonde feels apprehension crawling down her spine. "What happened?" She listens to his answer. unsurprisingly, it's exactly what she expected.

"Dunno," Gajeel said after a moment and scrubbing roughly at his cheek to hide evidence of anything remotely feminine, "I went out one day. Came back to find that bastard gone. Only trace of him was blood splashed around our home." He meets Lucy's tearful eyes hollowly. "All of it...all of it was fucking _his. _Metalicana."

Lucy growls deep in her chest. Gajeel's head jerks up. His eyes narrow her. "Why?" The blonde's small hand reaches to grab his own. The Iron Dragon Slayer doesn't pull away from the contact in the face of his uncertainty.

"It's the same with me," she speaks gently, cradling her half-eaten apple between her palms, "I came home and Igneel was gone." The girl says no more. Gajeel watches her rub furiously at her eyes. She whispers curses at her eyes for wanting to cry.

Then Gajeel stands. He grabs up some of the apples and shoves them into his various pockets. He offers Lucy a hand.

"C'mon, princess," the Iron Dragon Slayer offers, "I'm heading to join Phantom Lord. It's a wizards' guild with all sorts of knowledge and talents."

Lucy stands quick enough. She agrees to go with Gajeel, liking the idea of everything he tell her.

"The strongest guild in Fiore, you know," he tells her, bending over to allow the eleven year old to put supplies and leftover apples in his bag. "Their master is one of the ten wizard saints. They've got ton of powerful wizards. No Dragon Slayers yet though. That 's where we come in. Iron and fire, right?" Gajeel rambles for a little while before Lucy stops him.

"I know why the dragons are gone."

"What!?" Gajeel proclaims. His chin seems to practically hang on the floor. "What happened?"

"I don't know what happened, but it was the same for me. I went to town. when I got home, Igneel was gone, but there was a pool of his blood splashed around our cave. My...umm...training partner's scent was everywhere. It was really strong." Gajeel blinks at her. The stronger a scent is, a lot of times, is equal to the strength of that person's feelings. Gajeel kicks at a rock to distract himself and hopefully calm some of the anger he feels starting to boil in his blood.

"Yeah? And his name?"

"R-right. Well...it's..." Lucy hesitates. Then her rage bubbles up again and her skin is heating up. Tendrils of fire escape her closed fists.

"His name is..." Lucy flexes her fingers on her skirt for comfort before rage and the cloudy sky give her the confidence to speak to this intimidating dragon slayer beside her.

"Natsu Dragneel."

* * *

**Continues in...**

**Chapter Two:**

**the port left burning**


	2. the port left burning

**This is probably in my top favorite stories that I'm working on right now. I'm so excited to be posting chapter 2 (which is short, yay for exposition)! I hope y'all love it too! I can't wait to hear (read?) what you think of it! Chapter three is going to actually be at the uniform length I like to put my chapters at (ten pages on word) and will be very actiony as this story starts taking the dark turn that is intended for it (the title is misleading). **

**And someone reviewed this question last time, and I thought I'd put the answer here so that everyone knows: Lucy is not a celestial mage in this. So, no eclipse doors, no zentopia, no...well...actually, this is AU so I don't have to do anything Canon! Muahahaha! Also, one other thing, I thought I made it clear, but maybe not. Lucy was one at the time her father gave her off to those mercenaries (AKA OCs you won't see again). I also want to clear up that it doesn't really matter how Jude pulled it off or what Layla thought or anything because it doesn't matter. So stop worrying about it. I didn't even bother to think all of that through because it's unnecessary information (I'm lazy). **

**Anyway, Thank you for your kind reviews! We hit my review goal...still not telling what it is...but if you look at the review count you can probably figure it out. And it holds true for this chapter as well. **

**So, let me know what you think and please...ENJOY!**

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Summer & Light

A Fairy Tail FanFiction

by CoriRedde

* * *

Chapter Two:

a port left burning

The guild building has a sort of foreboding scent to it, but even as Lucy wrinkles her nose, she feels a smile start to grow on her face. Beside her, her fellow Dragon Slayer wears a wicked smirk on his face.

"Well, we made it," says the eleven-year-old girl. She twists her fingers in her skirt nervously. Gajeel glances sideways at her, watching her hands wrinkle the red fabric.

"Yeah," the teen says after a moment, "We're here."

Lucy looks around, sniffing every so often when she turns her head in a new direction. "So do we just...go in?" Gajeel shrugs. His hand shifts into iron as he approaches the door. His signature laugh sounds once, causing Lucy to roll her eyes. The iron dragon slayer pulls back his transformed fist and slams it hard into the heavy door.

Or tries to.

From nowhere, (and Lucy knows. She'd been sniffing the air for trouble!) a man in a ridiculous outfit even by the dragon slayers' standards appears with his hand on Gajeel's fist. His wide purple mouth is split in a huge smile that Lucy can't quite call charming.

"Ah, ah, ah!" The man chides, wagging a finger in Gajeel's face. He taps his nose before moving over to Lucy's side, dropping a cold hand on her slender shoulder. "Manners, young friends, manners." Gajeel growls something that the man ignores (or couldn't hear. Lucy is, of course, exempt from misunderstood grumbles). The man's fingers drum on her shoulder.

"You're both mages, am I right?" The man says, walking in circles around the two of them. His own magic seeps out from him in dark colors, surrounding their own magic and testing it. It's a technique to test the depths of one's magic power, but it cannot reveal the nature of it. Lucy and Gajeel smirk simultaneously.

"Good power," the man muses, retracting his magic. "But of what kind, I wonder?" The way his eyes flick to Lucy's slitted pupils and Gajeel's more prominent canine teeth reveals that he has an idea about their magic. His wide smile shows approval.

Then, without warning, shadow creatures with a peculiar symbol on them burst from underneath the man's cloak. The air is quickly filled with them. Lucy's eyes dart side to side as she immediately puts herself back to back with Gajeel.

"We can get them in one shot," the iron dragon slayer says low under his breath. Lucy murmurs and agreement.

"Breathe," she whispers. They can hear the man's manic laughter over the haunting whisper of shadows around them. Clearly he does not expect the easy win that Lucy and Gajeel know is in their future. The two dragon slayers breathe in deeply, feeling that familiar tightening in their stomach and swelling in their chests. She waited on Gajeel's cue.

"_Iron Dragon's..."_

Lucy copies him quickly, her power swelling within her, _"Fire Dragon's..." _And together, with the sound of a magnificent beast, she and the other dragon slayer release their attacks.

_"Roar!"_

The shadow creatures, a magic called Shade, never stand a chance. They are torn to shreds with Gajeel's breath attack and burned to cinders with Lucy's. The two dragon slayers turn to see the man who had attacked them clapping with his face split even wider in a sickening smile.

"My dear Dragon Slayers," he says, his arms open wide as if welcoming someone home, "My name is Jose Porla, the master of Phantom Lord. I couldn't help but overhear you want to join my guilld." Lucy's eyebrows angle downward as she stares at the man. Though his magic smells a bit of decay, she can feel that the guild has power in spades. Gajeel nudges her.

"Yes," he answers when it seems Lucy is too lost in her scouting the guild via enhanced senses, "We would be honored." Lucy snorts in an almost lady-like manner at his wording. Gajeel glares at her. Lucy shrugs with a glance his way, clearly spelling out her distaste of his sudden use of etiquette.

"Excellent!" Jose cries, throwing the guild doors open again, "Come, come! Tell me yours names."

"I'm Lucy Ignagon, the daughter of the Fire Dragon Igneel," Lucy says proudly as they step inside. She sticks out like a sore thumb in her bright red skirt and orange top; the rest of the guild in dressed in dark navies, grays, purples, and blacks. She turns to Gajeel beside her, smirking at how at ease he looked for once. It must be the dark aura around the guild and the master's apparent insanity.

"Gajeel Redfox," the iron dragon slayer grunts in return, "raised by Metallicana." Jose Porla smiles wide at the power he is admitting into his guild.

"Juvia," he calls, "Juvia, my dear." The dragon slayers place themselves closer to each other, unsure if this 'Juvia' that their new master is calling is a mage or another one of those creepy shadow-things. Instead, a girl appearing a year or two older than Lucy walks toward them, her aura screaming melancholy. Her blue eyes are blank, looking for all the world like the ocean without waves. The impeccably done curls in her blue hair don't even bounce with the grace of her walk. She seems cold. Lucy grimaces: she hates the cold.

"Yes, Master?" The girl named Juvia murmurs. Lucy's ears pick up the sound of rain drizzling on the guild's rooftop. Her heart aches as she longs for Igneel's protective wing spread over her in the dreary weather.

"Fetch the guild stamp from my office, if you would," Master Jose speaks, "We are adding two Dragon Slayers to our ranks today." He gestures to Lucy and Gajeel, the latter looking bored. Lucy's eyes, on the other hand, light up brightly at the prospect of having a family again. An overlarge grin and pink hair flashes through her memories, leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

"Yes, Master," Juvia says softly. Her body then ripples, the dim lights in the guild seeming to bounce off her skin as she turns to water. She slips into the woodwork, racing underneath the floorboards towards the back of the guild and up the steps to the room Jose Porla claims as his own. She returns a short moment later as the same sad girl; this time she holds a large stamp in her small hand. Jose grins again, the expression carrying no happiness.

"Ah, Gajeel," the Master of Phantom Lord announces, "you first. Where would you like your stamp?" The black-haired teenager strips off his jacket and t-shirt, bearing his shoulder to the Master.

"Right shoulder," he decides.

"Color?" Juvia asks meekly, looking up with mournful eyes. Gajeel doesn't even need a second.

"Black." He follows this with his signature laugh. Lucy rolls her eyes at her friend. Juvia steps forward and distributes the magic of Phantom Lord into the stamp. She presses it firmly to the skin over Gajeel's deltoid muscle.

"And Lucy, what about you?" Jose asks, gesturing for Juvia to stamp the girl as well. Lucy presses a finger to her lips, thinking. She thinks back to her times with the dragon she identifies as her father, remembering the affectionate press of his nose to her stomach when she successfully learned another piece of Dragon Slaying magic. She remembers the warmth in her stomach when Igneel's magic spreads through her and the pleasure of eating fire. She smiles, showing her fangs.

"Here," Lucy says after contemplation, "On my left side, lower ribcage." With a soft smile, she adds, "In red." Gajeel smirks at her. Lucy's glare clearly says death to the mage if he messes with her. Gajeel shrugs then, a gesture of acceptance. Juvia presses the stamp to the side of Lucy's stomach, the magic that will link her to the guild flowing through her body.

"Then I welcome you to Phantom Lord," the Master says formally, "Lucy Ignagon and Gajeel Redfox."

* * *

"Stupid Gajeel and stupid informant," Lucy grumbles, walking angrily through a bustling street. She's sure steam is erupting from her ears and she knows that if someone were to touch her skin right now, he'd jerk back with burns on his fingers. She doesn't care. Right now, she's pissed. The man she willingly calls her brother in arms had definitely done this just to get under her skin.

Well, it's working.

Earlier that week, Gajeel had told Lucy that a Salamander was due to arrive in Hargeon Port. Though she'd known that it wouldn't be Igneel (even with how much her heart yearns to see him, she logically knows he's dead by her former partner's hands), she had hoped to run into Natsu Dragneel. He's the only other person in Fiore with the abilities that would rightfully get him the name Salamander. However, it appears that citizens (specifically girls) of Fiore have lost their minds and decided that _any _fire mage deserves the name that speaks of powerful fire dragons.

The man has blue-hair, a dumbass tattoo above his right eyebrow, and really ugly clothes. Seriously, who wears capes? She'd finally run into him in the midst of a group of screaming girls. The area had reeked of charm magic and perfume. It made Lucy's stomach curl when she discovered the strongest scent of perfume came from the man in the center of the circle. She'd walked right through the circle, stepped mercilessly on 'Salamander's' toes and exited the circle, glaring at the few girls who had started to yell at her for being rude to their quote, "Dear, dear Salamander", end quote. The man had 'gratiously' pardoned her and invited her to a party on his yacht that she had declined immediately. Boats? No, thank you. She likes her stomach calm and her food in it. She's ruined enough of Gajeel's shoes while riding trains for jobs.

Thinking of that makes her face split into an evil grin. Payback's a bitch, Gajeel. Those leather shoes he is so protective of will be her next target the next time she's thrown onto some sort of moving object with the Iron Dragon Slayer.

She can still hear the scream of girls a good fifty yards behind her. She'd heard them actually beat up some poor kid who had stumbled into the circle yelling something she hadn't cared enough to listen to. The whine of the crowd is enough to send Lucy stumbling into the closest tavern and ordering a drink, a strong one. She pulls her hood down from over her head and pushes the fabric back over her shoulders. The men in the tavern do many a double take, a few covering bleeding noses. Lucy smirks as the bartender walks back with a drink in hand. The smell of the alcohol is soothing. After all, Dragon Slayers can't really get drunk. She's tried enough times to know.

"A drink for the pretty miss-woah...!" The bartender's voice cuts out as he finally takes the time to notice her attire. His eyes get stuck somewhere south of her throat. Lucy leans forward on the bar, pressing her chest up.

"On the house, sweetheart?" She purrs, working the sex appeal and knowing he's going to agree.

The man gulps, tracing out the outline of her low cut silver top and following the line onto the single strap on her left shoulder. The material shimmers in the low light of the tavern. Lucy has a bit of a dramatic flair in her. That may be the result of living with Jose Porla, the epitome of flamboyently insane, for the better part of the past six years, but she loves lighting her hands on fire and watching her clothes reflect the light of dragon fire. The dress is perfect too, a completely elegant color set off by a black skirt that peeps through the long slit up her right leg on the silver fabric. Her stomach and most of her back is bare except where the fabric wraps around to connect the skirts to the top. She taps one soft-booted foot impatiently while the man behind the bar finishes tracing out the cutouts of her dress.

"O-on the house," the bartender says back, releasing the drink, eyes still on the revealing outfit. Lucy tosses the gin back, exhaling in satisfaction. She waves for another order. The bartender is quick about it, leaning towards her with his elbows on the bar.

"So what brings you to Hargeon?" He asks conversationally. "You're a wizard, right?"

"Yeah, I came here on a job," Lucy says flippantly, reaching into one of the pockets hidden along the inside of her cloak. She pulls out a crumbled piece of paper and smoothes it out atop the bar for the man to see. "Umm...what's the best way to get to...the abbey?" Lucy grumbles in her head. The pay is decent, but as she skims the job's actual request, she has to work to hide her frown. She hadn't actually read the request while searching for one in this location. She regrets that.

"You're here, midday, drinking gin, and now you want to go to the abbey?" The bartender laughs, "There's irony if I ever saw it."

Lucy frowns. "Are you gonna tell me or not?"

The man stops his laughing nearly immediately at the low tone of Lucy's voice. The room seems hotter all of a sudden. "Y-yeah, it's uhm...go left out of here to the end of the street and make a right. That'll lead you right to the abbey."

Lucy smiles, dropping her second empty glass back down onto the bar. "For a guy who works in such a shady spot, it's sure funny how well you know how to get to religion." She snorts and fixes her cloak back around her body, taking care to flash her guild symbol for the guy to marvel over.

As expected, he shouts out: "You're from Phantom Lord?" Lucy nods, flipping her hood onto her head. She walks out of the tavern, leaving the star struck bartender behind. Pride bubbles in her belly. Her guild is the greatest, no contest. She sets off for the abbey, mentally preparing herself.

_I love cleaning belltowers. I love cleaning belltowers._

The mantra is useless. She repeats it over and over in her head even as she knocks on the abbey doors. The sisters there suck in shocked breaths at her attire, but Lucy can't even bring herself to scowl at them. She feels rather drained instead. _I love cleaning belltowers. _

The tower had been filled with magical parasites that leech sound causing the abbey's bells to ring with a muted sound that gets lost in the wind (whatever stupid mage had set them up had since died, judging by how easily the little creatures _burn)_. That had been the nature of the job, but the sisters at the abbey are kind enough to bring Lucy some extra food from their dinner. The girl relaxes in the tower, chewing her bread slowly as she checks to make sure the runes controlling the times of the bells chimes are still in place. The sky has long since gone dark when she finishes her food, the jewel payment tucked safely into her cloak. She's staring out into the harbor when it happens.

The port explodes.

So, that's a little bit of an exaggeration on Lucy's part, but she knows fire when she sees it. More importantly, she knows Igneel's fire when she sees it.

"So, he's here," Lucy says, standing from her resting place in the bell tower and walking forward to stand in the large archway. The bronze bell looms above her. "Guess you aren't so useless after all Gajeel." She digs her fingers into the stonework of the building as excitement builds in her gut. She strains her ears, hoping to catch bits of the conversations happening below, but the roar of the flames, the crash of the waves on the beach, the high-pitched keen of the vibrations through the bell behind her, and the wind in such a high up place are all working against her.

"_...look at your face..." _That's Natsu's voice; she's certain of it. Though she hasn't heard him speak for seven years and his voice has matured and deepened, it still carries that same carefree lilt and self-confidence of having a dragon for a parent. It's definitely him.

_"Get him...!" _Lucy watches as Bora's men attack her old partner, her sharp dragon eyes focused on the effortless way Natsu hits them away. She smirks. It's not like that fake-Salamander's men ever stood a chance in the first place against a Dragon Slayer.

_"...name is Natsu...I'm a...wizard!...never seen you before!..." _ Lucy growls in frustration, having missed the name of the guild Natsu belongs to. She briefly ponders the legitimacy of Sorcerer's Weekly and if she should look in there for some information. Then she snorts. As if she would ever look in a trash magazine like that. She strains her eyes to try and make out the red mark on Natsu's shoulder. The distance is just a little too much.

Instead, she get to thank dragon loyalty for causing the other fire Dragon Slayer to go on a rampage and sending the man flying in her direction.

The bell dongs loudly as Bora crashes into it.

Lucy jerks backward, grabbing the man flying past her. She throws him to the ground of the top level of the bell tower. He ticks her off, this dumb blue-haired slave trader. Plus, he's useless enough to get his ass thoroughly kicked by another fire user. It's cruel fate, Lucy knows, but she's about to beat him again.

The loud ringing of the bell in her ears isn't exactly helping Bora's situation either.

She kicks the man's side.

"Get up!" She orders. Bora grumbles something. Lucy drops to her knees then, one pressed into his gut and the other pressed painfully into the junction of arm and shoulder. Bora winces, crying out slightly.

"You're gonna answer a few questions for me," Lucy says, leaving no room for argument. Bora looks at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"A-as if you can make me!" He boasts, "Girl!" Lucy's anger escalates a little bit, and she allows flames to start whipping around them in an intimidating way. Bora pushes his hands against the floor, trying his hardest to escape. His frenzy makes it easier for Lucy to hold him down (regardless of the fact that her magic makes her far stronger than any human).

"I see you recognize this magic," Lucy whispers lowly, "I recommend fearing it. Wouldn't want to anger the child of a dragon now, would you?" Bora whimpers. It's quite pathetic, prompting a short disgusted noise to leave Lucy's throat.

"You're weak," she says bluntly, "But you know something I need to know. That boy you just fought, the one with the stupid hair, what guild does he belong to?" Bora hesitates, his eyes roaming around as if searching for a savior. Lucy, however, is impatient and presses her knees harder into his battered body.

"_Grah! Ok! Ok!Ok, I'll tell you!" _Bora lets the short scream out in a high-pitched manner that is quite unbecoming for someone of his profession. Honestly, he's like a little princess. The thought makes Lucy grimace. That's the nickname Gajeel still calls her by, and, frankly, she does not want to be compared to something like _this. _

"Well?" Lucy prompts.

"F-Fairy Tail," Bora squeaks, "He belongs to Fairy Tail." Lucy then says an insincere thank you, standing up. Bora breathes a sigh of heavy relief, attempting to stand to. Purple-hued fire begins to trail from his fingers. He raises his hands to attack Lucy, but she calmly sucks the fire into her mouth.

"Really, you'll never learn," she sighs. Then she lifts a fist and punches Bora's chin hard, effectively sending him reeling back, unconscious.

"Sweet dreams, poser," she says, dismissively, leaping out of the tower. Shouldering her back and pulling her cloak back over her head, the Dragon Slayer heads toward her guild.

"Natsu Dragneel," she threatens the sky as she walks, "I'll be seeing you very soon. And you will finally meet justice for your sins." Flames light up on her fingertips and the port burns behind her.

* * *

**Continues in...**

**Chapter Three:**

**those who declare war**


	3. those who declare war

**Sorry for the long wait! (I say that every chapter...) Anyway, we are moving on - serious action this chapter. And some Lucy vs. Juvia! And you're all like..."What?"**

**And by the way, the Korean/Chinese band Exo is the best thing right now. Along with Korean drama That Winter, The Wind Blows. Kim Bum is ridiculously attractive.**

**And one quick thing: I'm sure someone will come up with this question..."Shouldn't Lucy have known that the Salamander is in Fairy Tail from Sorcerer Weekly like in the manga/anime?"...My answer is...I don't think anyone in Phantom Lord would read a tabloid? Probably not. And for this AU, Lucy is a member of Phantom Lord and best friends with Gajeel, so there is doubly no way she would touch girly crap like that.**

**I didn't include Gray vs. Juvia and Elfman vs. Sol in this bc it would be basically writing out the manga/anime and I don't want to do that.**

**Please enjoy and review!**

* * *

Summer & Light

A Fairy Tail FanFiction

by CoriRedde

* * *

Chapter 3:

those who declare war

* * *

"Gajeel!"

The guild doors fly open, heat rushing into the main room. Lucy storms in, eyes blazing. The dim clatter of mugs and the din of talking quiets, everyone turning to watch the blonde storm into the guild's main hall. Everyone, that is, except the aforementioned iron dragon slayer. The nineteen-year-old chews loudly on his scrap metal, pointedly ignoring Lucy even as she stalks over to him and slams her hand down on the table he's seating.

"What shit kind of informant do you have?" Lucy demands, "Salamander my ass. That man could hardly produce _sparks." _Gajeel grunts in response. Lucy growls. Again, she is ignored. Lucy blames her short-temperament on being the daughter of a dragon. She rips the piece of metal her partner is chewing on from his mouth, sets it on fire, and shoves it back into his mouth.

Gajeel reels back. "_Fuck!" _His shout breaks the deadly quiet in the guild as the members of Phantom Lord begin to circle around to watch the confrontation. "Damnit, woman! What the hell was that for?"

Lucy frowns at her partner's bewildered expression. "The Salamander? Hargeon port?" Gajeel blinks a few times before he starts laughing.

"Oh. _That?" _He throws an accusing finger toward the second floor where S-Class mages, particularly Element Four keep to themselves. "Juvia told me." Lucy's gaze shoots up to where the water mage is looking over the railing with that blank expression. Her ridiculous, pink umbrella is loosely in her grip. Lucy's lips pull back to show her fangs as she turns her body to glare up at Juvia.

"Get. Down. Here." Lucy growls, each word slipping between her teeth. With Gajeel, it's fun to get in a brawl over something stupid, but Juvia just rubs her the wrong way. Juvia lifts her chin a little, observing the blonde down the end of her nose.

"Juvia does not wish to," the water mage murmurs, turning her back on the fire dragon slayer. She moves to walk farther into the recesses of the second floor. Lucy's fingers twitch. She can't ignore the itch to hear the satisfying hiss of steam as her fire clashes with Juvia's magic. The water woman can heat her water as much as she wants, but it won't ever come close to the temperatures Lucy's magic is capable of.

"Are you scared?" Lucy challenges. Juvia freezes. She turns her head to the left, looking at Lucy over her left shoulder.

"Juvia believes she was the winner of her last fight with Lucy." And with that statement, fire races over Lucy's form. The dragon slayer launches herself upward, fire streaming out behind her like wings as she tackles Juvia to the ground. The water mage hits the ground hard; the wood groans in complaint underneath her. Lucy's hands wrap tightly around her rival's wrists, her knees on either side of Juvia's waist.

"What was that?" She asks, leaning forward. Juvia doesn't answer. Instead, she flexes her fingers. Water shoots forward. Lucy throws herself backward to avoid it, but doesn't let up her grip on Juvia's wrists. The two of them are caught up in Lucy's momentum, and tumble over the railing. They fall through the air to the first floor. Both girls push off the other, hitting the ground in opposite corners of the guild. Lucy slides back on her toes, one hand on the ground to steady herself. The other is raised in an oncoming attack, fire circling her first.

Juvia jumps forward, her hand extended.

_"Water Punch!"_

Lucy leaps on time, twisting around her rival's attack.

_"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" _The two attacks collide with an almost deafening burst of steam that clouds up the already dark air inside the guild. Then, Lucy's voice rises from inside the superheated water.

_"_And..._Roar!" _Flames spew from the blonde's mouth, clearing out the steam to reveal the guild's other fire user and the Master of Phantom Lord standing with Juvia. Totomaru, one of the few other mages in the guild that easily gets on Lucy's nerves, appears to be in extreme pain as he stops the roar (any dragon slayer's most direct attack) before it causes any damage. The fire hovers in midair, the flames still crackling and dancing. The attack inches forward, Totomaru's powers not enough to hold the fire.

Jose's smile is, as usual, sickening. "Lucy, dear, if you would." He gestures to the fire mage he had, presumably, dragged with him to stop the duel, "We won't be wanting any funerals, now." The blonde nods her head, waving a hand. The fire disperses, and Totomaru drops to one knee, breathing hard.

Juvia bows her head to the Master of Phantom Lord. "Thank you, Master." Jose drops a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course, my dear." Lucy and Juvia meet eyes for a quick second to share a shudder at Jose's obviously creepy tendencies. Then, having realized the moment of camaraderie, they quickly look away. Gajeel comes to stand beside Lucy.

"What is this about, Master?" He asks. He gives a big, leering grin, "I was enjoying the show." Lucy elbows him hard in the ribs. The iron dragon slayer coughs to hide his grunt of pain.

"I'm merely trying to protect my guild, my dragon slayers," Jose says, "nothing more." He then levels an all-too-knowing stare at Lucy. "Unless, of course, you have something to say." There's a few moments of tight silence, the dragon slayers and other members of the guild glancing between each other. Gajeel shrugs at Lucy, telling her he has nothing. The blonde takes a deep breath and steps forward.

"Actually, Master," she says loudly, "I have something to say."

The guild Master waves his hand, giving her permission to speak. At this, even the two Element Four on the second floor move to descend the stairs.

"I was recently in Hargeon Port on a tip from Juvia" -she shoots a slit-pupil glare at the water mage- "to look for a Salamander. Most of you know this, but Gajeel and my parents were killed by another mage. Natsu Dragneel. The one thing I did learn from my trip is the name of the guild he is allegedly a part of: Fairy Tail."

As this, Gajeel perks up, his red eyes fixed on Lucy unblinkingly. She gives him a stare that has fire dancing behind her eyes. It brings a barely perceptible smirk to his face. Lucy turns to face her guild mates.

"This guild, Fairy Tail," she spats. She steps forward with each word she speaks, her magic power flaring around her. She looks dangerous, her wild hair flowing out around her and her skirt swirling around her ankle. "Dares to call themselves the strongest guild in Fiore." She spins, turning to face her Master. "Who the hell do they think they are?"

The members of Phantom Lord cheer, some pounding fists into open palms.

"Don't they know who they are competing with?" Lucy lets fire rage up from her open palm, shaping into the guild symbol. "Phantom, that's who." The blonde hears Gajeel's snicker behind her. He mumbles under his breath about Lucy's stupid ability to get people on her side with a few sappy words. She throws him a cruel smirk.

"I say we show Fairy Tail, and Natsu Dragneel, just how powerful Phantom Lord is," Lucy proposes. She pauses to bow to her Master. His disturbing, purple grin is consent enough for Lucy to continue rousing to guild mates to attack the Fairy Tail guild. She moves to Gajeel's side, the air deadly still around the main room.

"They'll pay for their insolence with a lesson they'll never forget...especially that Salamander." Lucy says, her voice low and dangerous. The rest of the guild holds its breath in anticipation of the blonde's next words. "He killed my father and copied my magic. We will attack...and don't dare to hold back! We will _end_ Fairy Tail!" Cheers erupt around the guild. Jose Porla claps his hands, standing with his Element Four around him and a wicked smile on his face.

"I assume you have a plan for this attack, my dear dragon slayers," the master of Phantom Lord muses, moving to stand opposite Lucy and Gajeel. Lucy winks at Gajeel.

"Of course, Master," she says, "And we will implement it tonight." She then grabs Gajeel's elbow, pulling him down to her level.

"And now matter what happens, Natsu Dragneel is mine," she warns, "So stay out of my way."

Gajeel throws back his head and cackles, joining in the ruckus of a guild raising moral. "Sure thing, Princess."

Jose claps his hands together. "Wonderful. Then let us discuss just what will be happening tonight in my office." He waves in that direction. "Shall we?"

Lucy nods, her fingers itching to fight.

* * *

Magnolia is a bright town, but at night it is not uncommon for shadows to slip around corners and hide from street lacrimas. It is also not uncommon for mages of Fairy Tail to be returning from missions at late hours...and this is what Lucy and Gajeel are counting on as they wait up on the roof of Kardia Cathedral.

A cool breeze blows by, blowing Lucy's hood over her eyes. She adjusts it with a sigh of agitation. The blonde falls back against the tall bell tower.

"This is taking forever," she mutters, crossing her arms. Gajeel glances up at her from his position kneeling on the edge of the roof.

"You didn't have to come with me, Princess," the iron dragon slayers growls back at her. Lucy opens her mouth to say something, but closes it as she realizes she has nothing to say in return.

"I should've brought a book," Lucy groans, sinking down the wall. She rests her elbows on her knees and chin in her hands.

"You shitting me?" Gajeel hisses at her, "You don't even own books." Lucy sticks her tongue out at her partner.

"What do you know?" She spits, "I would if I could."

Gajeel raises and eyebrow. "You _can," _He deadpans. Lucy rolls her eyes. She stands up, preparing to kick the iron dragon slayer off the roof when she sees his shoulders suddenly stiffen and the faint murmur of a female voice reaches her ears. She standing just behind Gajeel with her knees bent in an instant. The obnoxious voices that respond to the female are both male. Lucy and Gajeel glance at each other, both coming to the same conclusion. Unsuspecting, tired from a mission, and no great source of magic power makes these three easy prey.

"Know them?" Gajeel asks as he nods towards the trio that have just come into view. Lucy shakes her head.

"The last issue of Sorcerer Weekly that I read was...never." She pokes Gajeel hard in the temple. "Duh." The man glances at her.

"Then are they Fairies or not?"

Lucy smirks. "I'll find out." She goes to leap, but Gajeel grabs her, holding her back.

"I'll take care of this," he says. There's no room for argument in his voice, but Lucy's been his partner since they joined Phantom Lord. She narrows her eyes.

"Are you saying I can't take care of that trash?"

Gajeel gives her his you're-clearly-retarded look. "I'm saying, Princess, that _fire _is just a tad bright for a black ops mission. We don't want the Fairies to find our gift with us still here." Lucy grumbles some choice words.

"Fine. I'll find out if they're Fairy Tail." Gajeel nods, waving her away. Lucy pulls her cloak close around her body, using a spell to make herself like the shadows. The blonde then throws herself down the side of the building, catching herself on a street lacrima and rolling on the cobblestone street before dashing into the nearest alley.

_"Did you hear something?" _The voice of the short girl with blue hair reaches Gajeel's ears. He can't resist raising a hand to his face.

"Is she trying to get caught?" The dragon slayer groans. He keeps his eyes trained on the alley his partner disappeared into as the trio decides Lucy's disturbance is nothing and keep moving. Gajeel sniffs the air, the faint smell of dragon slayer blood tasting metallic on his tongue.

"Some signal," he says, but a smirk and cackle are already on his lips as he leaps. He has the satisfaction of seeing fear flash across the small, blue-haired girls face before his magic overwhelms them. The two men are brave, attempting to defend her, but their magic just isn't enough. The girl then surprises him as she moves to stand in front of her unconscious teammates.

"Don't hurt them!" She demands. Gajeel laughs.

"They're already unconscious, girlie," he sneers, "But for your efforts, I have a special award." He glances toward the shadows. "Get out here." The girl's eyes widen as another figure, this one hidden by a cloak, steps out of the alley way.

"I knew I heard something," she says, as if knowing of Lucy's presence would save her. The fire dragon slayer removes a hand from the folds of her cloak. It's covered in ash. The girl can only make out the fanged smirk on the stranger.

"Hold her, Gajeel," Lucy orders. Levy attempts to scream, but the iron dragon slayer already has her mouth covered and her arms locked behind her. His grip is bruising, his nails cutting into her skin. Lucy heats her hand.

"This may hurt," she whispers to the girl. Tears fall uncontrollably from the blue-haired girl's eyes as Lucy presses the symbol of Phantom Lord into her skin, drawing it on with ash and a superheated touch. The pain is finally too much for the scared mage, and she falls unconscious. Gajeel drops her.

"What now?" He asks. Lucy looks around, spying a park with a huge tree in the middle. Her smile is positively terrible; Gajeel can't help but mirror it.

"We leave a message."

* * *

The people of Magnolia gather around one of the famous rainbow sakura trees in their hometown. Murmurs of disbelief and horror rise up from the crowd. Women cry out in anguish, children hide in their mother's chests, and men comfort their wives. The crowd goes, people pushing to see a look at the commotion, only to turn away as they take in the sight of three Fairy Tail mages unconscious in a crucified position. Their skin is littered with bruises and road burn. Their clothing is torn, and, in the case of the blue-haired girl, a darkly, colored burn depicts the symbol of another guild. A commanding voice parts the crowd.

"Out of the way. We're from the guild!"

People move out of the way immediately, feeling the oppressive power radiating from the small group of people. At the front of the group is a small man with a staff in his hand. He stops, light radiating around him in his fury at the sight of his fallen guild members.

"This," he declares, "Is war!"

At the back of the crowd, a girl in a dark cloak turns to walk away, a smile on her face.

* * *

"Master!" A red-headed woman argues, "Let us attack them first! I'll take Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Loke, and Cana. That's six of us who are strong enough to take down Element Four and Black Steel Gajeel and his partner."

"No, Erza," the Master of the Fairy Tail guild, Makarov Dreyar, says in return, "That gives them a reason to fight harder. They'll want to protect their guild building. They started this, so they will bring the fight to us." The female mage sighs in consent.

"I'm going to station someone at Magnolia Hospital then," Erza says, "We can't leave Levy, Jet, and Droy unprotected." Makarov nods.

"Good. Send someone with strong defensive ability." Erza nods in understanding.

"I'll send Laki, then," she offers. Makarov agrees to this, sending the silver-haired woman at the door to tell the wood-make mage, Laki, to hurry to Magnolia Hospital. The woman hurries out.

"Thank you, Mirajane," Makarov calls after her. Erza stands.

"I'll take some members to stand waiting for the attack," she tells her Master. "We're missing our most powerful members, but Fairy Tail won't fall for that."

Makarov gives her a very serious stare. "I know we won't."

And that's when Mirajane bursts back into the Master's office.

"Master...Phantom..." she pants. Makarov stands immediately.

"What?" He demands.

"They're here," Mirajane says. Erza wastes no time, practically flying from the office. She leaps over the railing, hitting the main floor running.

"Natsu!" She yells, "Gray! Elfman!" The three mages race to her side, bursting through the doors with her. "Loke!" The womanizer is there too, twisting his rings around his fingers. The five mages of Fairy Tail freeze with horror written across their faces as they come face to face with the physical Phantom Lord guild.

"It's the whole guild!" Says a small voice from over the shoulder of the first mage that Erza called. Natsu nods mutely, asking the owner of the voice, his flying cat, Happy, to also be quiet.

"_Fairy Tail," _a sinister voice rings over the town, "_It has been brought to my attention that one of your members has comitted a serious crime against one of our own." _Erza and her team glance around at each other confusion written on all of their faces. They are joined by everyone else in Fairy Tail, including Makarov who storms to the front.

"This is going too far, Jose!" Makarov thunders, his voice magically amplified.

_"A guild is family. Isn't that your doctrine, Makarov?" _Jose counters, _"A family should suffer together." _

The guild building then splits open, a huge canon coming into view. Erza's face hardens. "_I would like to introduce you do Jupiter, a magic-particle canon whose destructive power can level your guild in one blow. I'll give you until the count of ten to send out the criminal in your midst or else I will destroy your guild."_

No one in Fairy Tail moves. Makarov turns to the mages he considers his children.

"I will stop this canon," he says, "Not one of you will help me. Then, you will take down Phantom Lord and show them just what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail!"

"But you could die!" Happy argues. Makarov flips his thumb and forefinger of his right hand out.

"No, I won't." The members all nod solemnly. Loke's hand on Erza's shoulder is the only thing that keeps her from arguing. Everyone else in Fairy Tail feels their hands shaping into the sign of the guild subconsciously.

Jose Porla, the Master of Phantom Lord, then stops counting down.

_"No one?" _He laughs. "_I should have known. Then, Fairy Tail will die together. Goodbye, Fairy Tail." _And Jupiter lights up, releasing a beam that has everyone in the Fairy Tail guild flinching and reaching out toward their Master as he releases his magic in an attempt to stop the destruction from reaching their home.

"Master!" Mirajane screams, turning to hide in her brother's arms. Elfman can't keep the look of horror from his face.

The light clears, and Makarov is thrown back, landing hard on the street. Erza rushes to him, a few members on her heels. She lifts his head, patting his shoulders. It's futile: the Master is unconscious.

"Take him to Porlyusica," she orders, "Then come back here." The few grunts don't move. "Go!" Erza orders in a loud voice. They flinch, shouting 'Yes, ma'am!' as they carefully take Makarov away.

_"How precious," _Jose's voice resounds around them again, "_Sacrifice." _Shouts of anger rise from Fairy Tail mages. _"However noble, it is useless. In fifteen minutes, Jupiter will fire again. Unless of course, the murderer in Fairy Tail shows himself." _Silence. They can almost feel the sinister aura that Jose Porla emits. "_Fifteen minutes, then. But in the meantime..." _Then, the belly of the guild opens, and members of Phantom Lord along with legions of shades spill out, rushing for Fairy Tail.

The equip mage then stands, shouting out orders.

"Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Loke!" She shouts, "Come with me!" The named mages run forward, a flying cat and the barmaid with them. "The rest of you protect the guild and each other!" Battle cries answer her. "Cana!" A brunette, holding a handful of cards looks up, anger clear on her face, "Take charge here!" Erza then turns and runs with the group she had named.

"Mirajane?" She shouts over the roar of oncoming mages, "What are you doing?"

Mirajane opens a magic circle in front of them. "I'm just going to disguise us on the way in so you won't have to waste magic energy on foot soldiers!" Erza nods her appreciation to Mirajane as they are able to run through the oncoming Phantom Lord guild members without being stopped.

"Happy," the barmaid asks, "Fly closer so I can disguise you too." The blue cat swoops down to sit on his partner's shoulder.

"Aye!"

"Listen up," Erza commands as they run, "There are five S-Class mages in Phantom Lord. Four of these are the Element Four, and the other is known as Black Steel Gajeel. It is also rumored that his partner is a flame mage and quite formidable."

Natsu, Fairy Tail's own fire mage and dragon slayer, smirks and laughs. "Great! Let me take him on!"

"You'll take on whoever you run into first!" Erza orders, and Natsu doesn't dare to disagree. "Save your magic energy for any of those five. Don't rely on your magic for anyone less." The others agree quickly to the logic.

"Element Four has an earth mage, water mage, fire mage, and wind mage," Erza continues, "Rumor is they're all extremely powerful, especially Aria, the wind mage. Defeat them as quickly as you can. Otherwise, there is a risk that they start a spell that combines their powers. That may be enough to rival the Jupiter."

"What type of spell?" Elfman asks.

"Abyss Break would be the most probable," Mirajane supplies, hand held out in front of her as she continues the spell, "It requires time to build, but with the four supplying elements giving power directly, it would be hard to stop."

The team stops as they reach the edge of the city.

"Gray!" Erza says. The dark-haired man, an ice-make mage, steps forward.

"_Ice Make: Bridge!" _Ice explodes upward from the ground, climbing up to the belly of the Phantom Lord guild. "Let's go!" Gray says, signaling the bridge to be free to use. Erza pauses, glancing back at Mirajane.

"Hurry!" Mirajane urges. "I'll be fine."

After serious grateful comments to the silver-haired woman, the Fairy Tail mages hurry up, their faces hard.

"Happy!" Erza calls, "Fly me over to the Jupiter canon! I'll destroy that first." Happy raises his wings, lifting off Natsu's shoulder to grab onto the red-haired S-Class mage.

"Be safe, Erza!" Natsu calls, simultaneously asking her to keep his partner safe. Erza doesn't respond, but Natsu wouldn't have seen it anyway as he continues up into the guild with Gray, Elfman, and Loke. As they enter, they look off into three possible directions.

"We'll split up here then," Loke says. "Gray and I will go left. Elfman, go right, and Na-"

"Forward! Alright!" And the fire dragon slayer runs forward, leaving the other three behind without a thought.

"He'll get himself killed," Gray mutters, turning to walk down the left corridor. "I'll see you back home, Elfman."

"Yeah," the big man agrees, and then they split again.

The tension in the air for battle keeps rising; malicious intent is palpable in the air.

* * *

Happy releases Erza at the mouth of the canon, flapping his wings to float beside her.

"Stay behind me, Happy," the red-head orders, striding forward. She draws a sword, carefully walking into the canon to the lacrima chamber powering it. Each of her steps in nearly silent, her sword held in a firm grip so that the clank of blade against hilt doesn't sound. She reaches the inside of the canon and stares out at the huge lacrima powered by many magics surrounding it. The set up is obvious: the middle lacrima is the real Jupiter, so it's the only one she needs to break.

"Easy enough," Erza murmurs to herself. She steps casually off the raised canon and drops with the soft tap of leather soles against stone floor. She raises a hand to throw her sword into the lacrima. A slight crack would be enough.

There's a flair of red in Erza's peripheral vision. She steps back on her left foot, bringing up her cross guard. The fire glances off the flat of her blade.

"Who's there?" Erza demands. A man with white and black hair steps from the shadows of the lacrima.

"My name is Totomaru," he says, bowing slightly. "An honor, Titania." Erza narrows her eyes.

"Element Four," she counters, acknowledging the man's power. He smirks.

"Yes," he confirms, "The Great Fire. That is me."

Erza nods. "I see," she says, "I shall not hold back." She focuses on the lacrima, telling herself that only one attack will be necessary. _"Requip!" _Magic consumes her body, taking away the everyday Heartz Kruez armor she is so fond of and replacing it with her signature: Heaven's Wheel Armor. The swords decorated to match the armor dance around her, the rubies in their hilts glinting. Erza raises her arm, pointing at the lacrima.

Totomaru smiles. "I see. I, too, am a swordsman." He draws his lone katana from his belt. Erza nearly sighs, but catches her rudeness in time to just attack.

_"Dance, my swords!" _The weapons race forward. Totomaru's face shows shock as he parries away one sword only to be knocked in the head with the hilt of another. The majority of the swords crash into the large lacrima, shattering it. Erza can't help smirking.

"Wow," Happy exclaims, showing his face finally. "That was easy."

"Perhaps I shouldn't have been so harsh," Erza says, her eyebrows furrowed. Happy settles on her shoulder.

"Are you kidding?" The cat says, "That was way better than Natsu!" Erza can't help but blush a little from the cat's praise as she walks casually out of the room and wanders the building for a while.

"It's oddly quiet," the Titania muses to herself. She then eats her words as two magic powers clashing in the distance become violently unbalanced. Erza gasps. She knows that magic. Happy's suddenly tight grip around her upper arm with his tail is a telltale sign he knows too.

"Loke!" She turns and runs.

* * *

Loke stumbles again, Gray's arm shooting out to steady him.

"Are you ok?" Gray asks, continuing to run even as Loke fights for balance.

"I'm fine," the womanizer says, laughing even as his skin appeared a bit too pale. "We have to hurry, so I can't really complain anyway." Gray nods, unable to shake the tension pricking his skin. Or was that water?

"Loke," Gray starts slowly, "Is it raining?" Loke stops running, holding out a hand. He watches with disbelief as water falls on his palm.

"Yeah," he breathes, "And that means..."

_"Drip, drip, drop..." _The voice has an oddly blank quality to it. Gray stands with his hand together, ready to attack. _"Drip, drip, drop...Juvia is the rain woman...Drip, drip, drop..." _The woman who comes around the corner is dressed in all blue with pale skin and blue hair and blue eyes. _"Juvia is the rain woman...Drip, drip, drop..."_

The rain gets heavier, seeping right through Gray's shirt so that is sticks uncomfortably to his skin. He's almost envious of the blue woman herself with her pink umbrella (not that he would ever be caught dead carrying something so frilly).

Loke shakes his head. "I hate water," he grumbles, sliding into his own stance next to Gray.

"No," Ice mage says, waving him away, "We don't have time to take her two to one. I'll stay. You keep on." He nods toward an adjacent corridor.

Loke stands to show his consent. "Will you be ok?"

Gray grins, "Yeah. Rain woman. This is my specialty." Loke gives his friend one last look before hurrying on, saying with his eyes that Gray had better not die. The ice mage's returned stare had said the same thing, and Gray only hopes that the rings magic user had gotten the message.

He face the woman in blue again.

"Juvia, right?" He says, "Element Four?"

The woman finally stops in her walk, her eyes coming to rest on him.

"I'm Gray of Fairy Tail," the ice make mage says, "I can't let you take another step, so..." A magic circle opens around him. "I guess it was nice to meet you."

* * *

So far, Loke's journey in Phantom Lord's guild has been marked by dark rooms and dank decor. When he bursts into an open hall with good lighting and no smell of mold, he is shocked enough to pause and breathe...and then freeze as a new presence makes itself known.

"So sad!" A large man with tears flowing down his face from underneath the bandages over his eyes appears in front of Loke suddenly. "I am Aria of the Great Wind, and you..." He doesn't finish his sentence, instead disappearing only to reappear behind Loke. The rings magic user can't even scream as a vortex of wind circles around him, lifting him off his feet.

"So sad!" Aria cries again. "So sad to be drained of magic!" Loke swallows dryly, twisting a ring around one finger.

_"Rr-ings...ma-gic!"_ A beam of power shoots from his right hand, hitting Aria in the chest. The man stumbles backward, disappearing and reappearing again to face Loke.

"You're not human," he says, his tears increasing, "A star trapped outside of Heaven! The tragedy! The sadness!" And he reaches up to his face to pull the bandages from his face. "I will end you misery! How sad!"

Loke never even sees the next attack. He only feels the pain of it. He can feel his body flickering in and out of existence. He shouts out at the next burst of wind against his ribcage as his strength leaves him. He remembers the look in Gray's eyes.

_I'm sorry. I can't keep that promise._

* * *

Mirajane opens her arms, allowing her brother to sink to his knees and fall into them as he cries. She merely smiles against her hair, proud of Elfman's ability to overcome his fears and past. The fight had been hard on him, but the result is more than she had hoped for: her brother unwounded and Sol, Element Four's earth mage, half-dead on the ground.

"Whoa..." A low voice interrupts the tender moment, "What happened here?"

"Gray!" Mirajane exclaims, shocked. "You're ok?"

The ice make mage nods. "Yeah. Took a beating though." Mirajane nods, noting the bruises on his chest (and missing shirt by default). "And you?"

"I'm ok. Elfman too," she answers, "I couldn't get away fast enough and was pulled into his fight." Gray looks at Elfman still crying.

"It was bad, huh," he muses, not really a question. Mirajane's sad eyes are answer enough. She shakes her head.

"Do you know about anyone else?"

Gray shrugs. "No. But we should probably try to get out of here."

Mirajane agrees all too easily as the fortress is shaken by magic and battle.

* * *

"So sad!" The wind mage cries, standing over Loke's fallen form. Loke coughs, struggling feebly to stand. The wind pressure is too much and holds him down. "To fall in battle! The sadness!" Loke pants hard, annoyed at Aria's exclamations.

"Go to...hell," Loke spits.

"Sad!" The wind mage says again. "So sa-!"

"Shut up!" And shut up he does as a booted foot is planted right in his windpipe. Aria of the Heavens fall backward, the source of his magic cut off for a second too long. He collapses in front of Loke. The womanizer glances up gratefully.

"Erza," he says.

"Shh," the Titania quiets him, helping him into a sitting position against the wall. "Rest here. All of the Element Four are done. No sign of Black Steel Gajeel or the Master around here. We're safe for the moment."

Her words are followed by a crash resounding in the building.

Loke jerks, swiveling his head around to search for another opponent. "What was that?" He looks at Erza who looks serious again.

"Natsu," she breathes. Happy's grip on Loke's shirt tightens considerably. The rings magic user pats the cat on his head.

"It'll be ok, Happy," he says. In his head, he prays. _I hope._

* * *

Natsu throws his hands in the air in frustration. He's been feeling the magic power of fighting mages for the past hour and has yet to see even a grunt to punch.

"Why did I get the lamest route?" He asks out loud. He punches the nearest wall for lack of something better to do. He rounds the corner, anger and boredom building up in him. The fire dragon slayer wants to fight for his guild, but how can he when there's no one to fight? Then he hears it: a snicker.

"I thought I smelled you." Natsu's head snaps right. HIs eyes zone in on a member of Phantom Lord hanging off a ledge on the guild's ceiling.

"Who are you?" He demands, looking at the man's long, ragged hair and multiple piercings. He sniffs in, but the man is too high up for him to learn anything.

"I suppose I'm your brother or cousin in a way," the unknown mage says, "But I am definitely your end." He jumps down from his perch, landing hard on his feet. He cracks a sneer at Natsu. The scent hits Natsu full in the face. His eyes narrow and his lips curl back in a lopsided smirk.

"Dragon Slayer," he growls low, "Iron. Which makes you Black Steel Gajeel." Gajeel throws back his head and cackles cruelly.

Natsu drops into a fighting stance, flames beginning to seep off his body as the aura in the room darkens considerably. "You're the one who attacked Levy and the others." His certainty provokes another cackle from Gajeel.

"Amusing," he laughs, "So your aren't as dumb as you look." Natsu raises an eyebrow, fangs bared.

"Is that an insult, Iron Dragon?"

Gajeel gives a 'come on' gesture. "Attack me if it is."

"I'm all fired up," Natsu growls, "Attacking my guild, harming my friends...I won't forgive you, Gajeel!" The fire dragon slayer jumps forward, racing with a fist pulled back towards his opponent. Gajeel barely has time to widen his eyes before the younger dragon slayer is on him.

_"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" _

The flames burst forward, consuming the room. Gajeel completely disappears under the flames as they burn hotter and higher. Natsu keeps his fist out, feeling the fire in the room and waiting for Gajeel's return attack. Instead, his fire begins to bend inward, spinning and racing around the room. The fire clears, and Natsu's eyes widen.

His fist is held by a blonde woman with the clearest brown eyes and an addicting scent. She bares her fangs at him, her eyes narrow and hating. Fire dances on her other hand. Natsu can barely breathe.

"...Lucy?"

* * *

**Continues in...**

**chapter four**

**the past left unsaid**


End file.
